Whistling cane



March 12, Y1940.

E. H. PITNEY 2,193,644

WHISTLING CANE Filed Dec. 16, lesa .Patented Mar. l2, `1940 UNITED A5f*lanas Pl'rl1vfi"I oFFicE c 2,193,644 l t `vvms'rLrNa CANE y Eari'n. Pitney, Willmar, Minn. i.

Application December 16, 1938, Serial No. 246,150

` rolaim. (o1. 13s-47) My invention relates to novelty canes or Walk- I ing sticks and'particularly to canes having soundproducing means incorporated therein.

. Novelty canes havev been made having means '5 therewithin for producing a single sound or note responsive to suitable manipulation of the cane and it appears that a cane capable of producing respectively different sounds in succession would be desirable. Such a cane could readily be'ar- I ranged for producing bird call imitations or other combinationsof sounds involving two respectively different musical notes in succession.

An object of my invention isto provide a novelty musical cane capable of being manipu- 15 lated to produce two sounds of respectively different characteristics insuccession.

Another object is to provide such a cane capable of producing a sound of one characteristic f responsive to placing longitudinal pressure on the '20 cane and a sound vof another characteristic responsive to removal of said pressure. y t

A further object is to provide such a cane of light, compact, rugged and inexpensive construc-I tion.

These and'other objects ofthe invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, 30 and in which:

tional side View` of a cane having incorporated therein an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2is a partial longitudinal sectional view drawn to enlarged scale; and

3-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrows.

In general mynovelty cane has a shank portion consisting of two vparts in longitudinally movable telescoped relation toy each other, a double .acting air pump operated lby retraction and projection ofone part of the shankrelative to the other, and two pneumatically operable sound producing ldevices connected to the air pump and so arranged that.k pushing the cane longitudinally against any stationary surface will cause one sound producing device to operate and removing longitudinal pressure on the cane will cause the other sound producing device to 50 operate. y

Referring to the drawing my novelty cane includes a shank consisting of a tubular element 4 and an elongated plunger 5 telescoped intothe lower end portion of the tubular element 4 in 55 longitudinally slidable relation thereto. Theup- Fig. l is a partially broken-away, partially sec- Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken'on the .line

per end of the tubular element t' is provided with a handle ii such as shown in Fig. l secured thereto by suitable means such as the pin l. The lower end ofthe plunger-5 is provided with an enlarged element ii and a helical spring 9 is placedf in concentric encircling relation with the plunger 9 and bears at'its respective ends against the movable relation therewith. The piston P con-v sists of several parts assembled on the upper end of a rod l0 which at its lower endis screw-thread edly connected tothe plunger 9 in co-aXial relation with the plunger 9 and the tubular element 4. A piston P-includes a pair *of pliable cupshaped washersv II and I2 which have respectivev flanges Ila and I Zbprojecting respectively upwardly and downwardly. The washers il and I2 are centrally'apertured and are placed in their apertured portions on the'upperzend of the rod IU with washers I3 disposed between the pliable.y washers Il and I2 above the pliable washer II and below the pliable washer I2. Nuts I4 are f screw-threadedlymounted on the upper portion of the rod Ill respectively above and 4below the above'described group of washers. are, of course, tightened to clamp the group of The nuts I4 At points respectively above and below the portion of the Tubular element 4 in which the piston P ismoved the tubular element 4y is provided with respective notches I'I and I8 so shaped .as to provide respective sharp edges ila and lila,

each of which is directed toward the portion of the tubular element 4 in which the piston P works. The portions of the tubular element 4 deiining the notches I'l andr I constitute portions of two whistles. A short distance toward the piston P from the respective sharp edges I'la and |80; generally cylindrical blocks yI9 and 20 are placed in the interior of the tubular element 4 and are secured therein as by means of screws 2l and 22 projecting through suitable apertures in thetubular element 4 into the respective blocks The cylindrical blocks I9 and 2l! have asmall lamount of material removed from each thereof to produce flat surfaces ISc and 20a, partially defining restricted passages 23 and 24 communicating with the respective air chambers l 5 and i6 and arranged to conduct air therefrom and direct said air against the respective sharp edges Vla and lila so that air so directed will produce whistling sounds in the manner of ordinary whistles. The lower block 2U is apertured to permit extension of the rod Ill therethrough with freedom for longitudinal movement ci the rod iii with respect thereto.

While the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing and discussed above includes elements forming whistles operated by air pressure developed in the respective chambers I 5 and H3, it is obvious that other pneuma'tically operable sound producing devices may be equally well connected with the respective chambers i5 and I6.

When the cane is pushed against the ground or any other object to move the plunger upwardly relative to the tubular element 4, the piston will be moved upwardly in the tubular element il to operate the whistle formed by the sharp edge lla and the block I9. During this operation air will be sucked in through the lower notch i8 and the whistle formed by the sharp edge lEla and the block 20 will be substantially silent. When the longitudinal pressure on the cane is removed as by lifting upwardly on the handle 6 the plunger S and piston P will be moved downwardly relative to the tubular element to force air outwardly through the lower whistle formed by the sharp edge 18a and the block 2S. The lower whistle will be operated by this movement of air therethrough and the upper whistle will be substantially silent. The result is that when the cane is pushed longitudinally against a surface and then withdrawn the upper and lower whistles will be operated in succession to produce two non-simultaneous and successive sounds. The respective upper and lower whistles may be made to such relative portions that the successive sounds will be of respectively different pitches. Thus the cane may be readily arranged so that operation thereof will cause the whistles to produce sounds resembling bird calls, such as the calls of the Bob-White or Cuckoo or any other sounds comprising combinations of two successive notes of respectively different pitches.

It is apparent that I have invented a novel, compact, light, simple, and inexpensive form of novelty cane capable of being easily manipulated to produce non-simultaneous successive sounds of respectively diierent pitches.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts throughout the views without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

A novelty cane comprising, a round tubular element of substantial length, a handle mounted on the upper end of said element, a cylindrical plunger slidably telescoped in the lower end of said tubular element, an enlarged ground-engaging head formed on the lower end of said plunger, a helical compression spring closely wound about said plunger and bearing at its respective ends against said head and the lower end of said element, a rod carried by the upper end of said plunger and projecting into the interior of said tubular element in co-axial relation therewith, a piston carried on the upper end of said rod in substantially sealed longitudinally reciprocatable relation with said tubular element, and a pair of plugs secured within said tubular element respectively above and below said piston to establish limits of movement thereof, the lower one of said plugs being apertured to relatively snugly and yet slidabiy accommodate extension of said rod therethrough, each of said plugs having a portion thereof immediately adjacent one side of 'de inner periphery of said tubular element cut away to provide an air passage, and said tubular element being apertured at the outer ends of said passages to form in conjunction therewith a pair of whistles operative responsive to respective upward and downward movement of said piston.

EARL H. PITNEY. 

